A new Hotel Inspector is about to check in. Alex Polizzi - niece of renowned hotelier Sir Rocco Forte - is taking over the baton from Ruth Watson as the host of Five's under-rated business improvement series. With a wealth of experience under her belt, Alex promises to take a "hands-on" approach to turning around the fortunes of the UK's worst-performing hotels. We gave her a call to find out more.

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How does it feel to be taking over as the Hotel Inspector?
"I didn't really think about what had gone before too much. I decided I was going to be quite different from Ruth. I thought what she did was wonderful, but I knew that my style was going to be quite different so I didn't really worry about it."

How did you get the job?
"They approached me, I did a TV test and clearly they must have liked me!"

Had you seen the show much before?
"As a hotelier you don't get much time to watch telly. I knew of the programme but I can't say I'd ever watched a show all the way through."

How does your style differ from Ruth's?
"I've become a bit more touchy-feely than Ruth used to be. I'm quite hands on, I like to get involved with the people and the properties. I like to roll up my sleeves and get stuck in!"

What are the main issues you encounter when visiting these hotels?
"I would say the problems are almost always because the people who have taken on these hotels have never been in the business before. It made me really angry because [there is] an arrogance of thinking that anyone can run a hotel. It's like me deciding that I'm going to be a journalist and deciding to write my own paper, or thinking I should be a hairdresser because I know how to use a comb and a pair of scissors."

Did any of them fight back?
"All of them. It fascinated me because all these people have asked me to come in and give them a hand, and actually I do have quite a bit of knowledge, but nobody likes being told that they're doing something wrong. They have a million excuses for why they're doing it their way."

How do you go about helping these sort of people, then?
"Apart from chastising them severely, you mean? Well, it helps if they've got some kind of knowledge about figures. It's very hard if they don't know what they should be tracking, don't know where they're losing their money or don't know where they're spending their money. It becomes quite complicated to help them untangle that."

Does the show offer any financial support?
"No, we don't. Often [the owners] themselves have some money and want my advice on where they should spend it. We have done very little of the spending ourselves - it isn't a makeover programme! I want it to be about the people and their business. I don't think chucking money at something necessarily solves the problem."

What's your worst hotel experience?
"I've stayed at one very uncomfortable hotel in Italy, but that was my own fault. What annoys me the most is when you're paying an absolute fortune, as I did on my honeymoon - 800 or 900 euros a night, a once in a lifetime thing. You almost expect rose petals cast before you wherever you walk! Obviously that doesn't happen, but you're left wondering what you're paying for, if [the staff] aren't really nice to you. That's an impression you go away with a lot. The more you pay, the higher your expectations are and the more easily you're disappointed."

What makes a good hotel?
"A really warm welcome is essential, as well as a sincere question as to whether your guest has had a good time. There's no point asking if you don't really want to know the answer. Cleanliness is absolutely key, as is a comfortable bed. Finally, when you go to the toilet, the loo seat should look as if it has never been sat on before."